Aviation workers are concerned about the Council of Transport Ministers agreement on the air passenger rights reform decided by yesterday’s Transport Council. The agreed attacks on passenger rights, such as increasing the threshold for compensation from 3 to 4 hour delays, can have serious consequences for airlines and airports frontline workers, the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) warns.
Classification of labour disputes as extraordinary circumstance: a dangerous attack on the right to strike
Further worrying is the proposal to classify labour disputes, including strikes, as qualifiers to deny passengers compensation in case of delay or cancellation. This undermines the role of collective bargaining and constitutes an attack on the fundamental right to strike.
“Scrapping passenger compensation removes the pressure on employers to negotiate in good faith and reach fair agreements before things escalate. It may well lead to more conflicts breaking out, not less.” says Thomas Gorin Weijmer, Policy Officer for Aviation.
ETF has been calling for air passengers to be compensated also in case of labour disputes at any point in the aviation ecosystem. Labour disputes must not appear at the list of extraordinary circumstances.
“To call strikes an extraordinary circumstance is an attack on collective bargaining.”
Standardisation of hand luggage needed to lower risks and tension
The suggested solution to hand luggage standardisation, to only include a small personal item that can be fitted under the seat in front of passengers is far from enough. It will not meet the expectations of air passengers or address the existing problems concerning hand luggage. Without standardisation of carry-on luggage to be placed in the overhead bin, the tension and risks of unruly passenger behaviour still remain. This does not only continue to frontline workers at risk but also delays boarding, causing flight disruptions.ETF calls for one personal item, one piece of carry-on luggage and one checked bag to be included in the standard price of all tickets, and their dimensions and weights to be standardised.
Next steps
To support workers and passengers alike, the ETF calls on the European Parliament to take a more balanced approach to air passenger rights and not just service the short term objectives of the airlines. ETF urges MEPs to reject the watering-down of air passenger rights in the upcoming phases of the legislative process.
